Chief of Staff

Timothy P. O’Connor, Ph.D.Vice President for University Strategy and Research OperationsChief of StaffThe Rockefeller University

Biographical Sketch

Timothy O’Connor was appointed Vice President for University Strategy and Research Operations at The Rockefeller University in June 2013. In this role, he is responsible for a range of offices and functions on the campus encompassing Research Support, Technology Transfer, Information Systems, Plant Operations and Housing, Planning and Construction, and Security. He also oversees the Rockefeller University Press, the Office of Communications and Public Affairs and the University Corporate Secretary.

In his role as Chief of Staff, Dr. O’Connor provides high-level support and advice to the President and, when appropriate, represents him outside the University. He coordinates activities of the senior administrative staff, providing a link between the Vice Presidents and the President, and assists the President in developing and implementing strategy.

Dr. O’Connor most recently served as the Associate Provost for Science and Technology at Yale University. Prior to that, he was an Associate Research Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Genetic Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. He earned his A.B. in Biology from the University of California at Berkeley and his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Michigan.

Timothy O’Connor was appointed Vice President for University Strategy and Research Operations at The Rockefeller University in June 2013. In this role, he is responsible for a range of offices and functions on the campus encompassing Research Support, Technology Transfer, Information Systems, Plant Operations and Housing, Planning and Construction, and Security. He also oversees the Rockefeller University Press, the Office of Communications and Public Affairs and the University Corporate Secretary.

In his role as Chief of Staff, Dr. O’Connor provides high-level support and advice to the President and, when appropriate, represents him outside the University. He coordinates activities of the senior administrative staff, providing a link between the Vice Presidents and the President, and assists the President in developing and implementing strategy.

Prior to joining The Rockefeller University, Dr. O’Connor served as the Associate Provost for Science and Technology at Yale University. In this capacity, Dr. O’Connor worked closely with science and engineering faculty as well as the President, Provost, and Yale Corporation on strategic planning, major facilities renovations, and undergraduate education. Along with the Deputy Provost, he had oversight of 15 departments and units in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and his portfolio also included the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies and the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies.

Dr. O’Connor graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and proceeded to Ph.D. studies in Biology at the University of Michigan, where he worked in the area of comparative physiology in the laboratory of William Dawson. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Physiology at UCLA, working in the area of ecological and evolutionary physiology in the laboratory of Jared Diamond.

He established an independent laboratory as an Assistant Professor of Biology at the City College of New York. There, his laboratory group studied adaptations in gene expression, enzymology, body composition associated with chronic changes in metabolism, and also examined the physiological mechanisms of aging in rodents.

In 2002, Dr. O’Connor moved to Weill Cornell Medical College to pursue his interest not only in laboratory science but also in university administration. He ultimately served as Associate Research Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Genetic Medicine. During his seven years at Weill Cornell, Dr. O’Connor’s work focused on analysis of gene expression and genome-wide genetic polymorphisms in a pulmonary clinical research program, as well as making contributions to the gene therapy program in the department. In 2005 he became Co-Director of Facility Operations and Maintenance of the GMP Facility of the Belfer Gene Therapy Core Facility. He served as the project manager for the department’s initiative on the transfer of clinical research technology to Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar and managed collaborations with Cornell University at Ithaca.

Dr. O’Connor has served on a wide variety of University committees throughout his career. His research was extensively supported by grants and he has published high-impact papers in leading journals. His professional achievements have been recognized by numerous awards and invitations to speak at symposia.